Hojicha Tres Leches Cake

This hojicha tres leches cake is a soft, milk-soaked sponge with deep notes of toasted tea and a fluffy white chocolate brown sugar whipped cream on top. Every bite tastes like a cold cup of hojicha milk tea with extra brown sugar, but in cake form.

Recipe

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Hojicha Tres Leches Cake

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese, Mexican

Keyword: cake

Servings: 9

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Infused milk

• 1 cup milk (250 ml)
• 4 tablespoons loose hojicha tea leaves (8 grams)
• ¾ cup evaporated milk (187 ml)
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk (159 grams)

Cake

• ½ cup all-purpose flour (67 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 8 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided (100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg whites

White chocolate brown sugar whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy cream (250 ml)
• 2 ounces white chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (38 grams)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease only the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish.
• Add milk to a small saucepot and heat over medium heat. Once the milk begins to simmer, remove from heat, and add hojicha tea leaves. Steep for 30 minutes.
• Strain the tea leaves, squeezing as much liquid as possible. Set aside ¼ cup of the infused milk for the cake batter. Measure the remaining milk, you should have about ½ cup. If needed, add a splash of plain milk to reach ½ cup. Add evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk to the ½ cup infused milk, whisking until well combined. Set aside.
• Make the cake batter. Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with 6 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and nearly doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla extract and the reserved ¼ cup of hojicha-infused milk, mixing until well combined. Add the sifted flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.
• In a separate large bowl, whip large egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar while continuing to beat. Whip until stiff peaks form.
• Add ⅓ of the whipped egg whites to the cake batter and stir to loosen. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan.
• Prick the entire surface evenly with a fork. Slowly pour the hojicha milk mixture over the cake in stages, tilting the pan to coax the liquid into the corners and edges. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight for best results.
• Make white chocolate brown sugar whipped cream. Melt 2 ounces white chocolate gently in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add brown sugar and continue whipping. Stream in the cooled melted white chocolate and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake. Cut into 9 squares and serve cold.

Video

Notes

You can infuse the milk the day before and chill it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Infuse milk

Start by infusing the milk. Heat a cup of milk in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Then, take it off the heat and stir in the loose hojicha tea leaves.

I like to use a cold brew bag to make it easier to remove the tea leaves.

Let it steep for a full 30 minutes so the milk picks up plenty of that toasted, nutty flavor.

Strain the leaves out and squeeze them well to get every drop of milk back. You'll lose some volume to the leaves, so top it back up with a splash of fresh milk if needed to reach a half cup.

Set aside a quarter cup for the cake batter, then whisk the rest with the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. You can do this step the day before and keep the infused milk in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.

Step 2: Bake cake

Next, make the sponge. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together so the cake stays light.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of the sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow and nearly doubles in volume. This step takes a few minutes, so don't rush it. The air you whip in here is what gives the sponge its tender lift.

Add the vanilla and that reserved quarter cup of hojicha milk, then stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and continue whipping to stiff peaks.

When I was working as a line cook at a restaurant in Los Angeles, I would occasionally help make the desserts. One of the handiest tips I got when making cakes with egg whites was to first mix in a third of the whites into the batter to help loosen it. This makes it much easier to fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the cake batter into a greased 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 3: Prepare tres leches

Once the cake is fully cool, the soaking begins. Prick the entire surface evenly with a fork, getting as many holes in there as you can.

Don't worry if a little bit of the cake comes out with the fork; you're going to cover the holes with whipped cream, so no one will be able to notice.

Then, slowly pour the hojicha milk mixture over the top in stages, tilting the pan to coax the liquid into the corners and edges. Wait until almost all of the liquid is absorbed before pouring more.

Cover the pan and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but overnight is even better. The sponge will drink up every last drop and turn into a beautifully soft and custardy cake.

Step 4: Finishing touches

Now for the whipped cream. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short 20-second bursts, stirring between each one so it doesn't burn.

Let it cool to room temperature before using. If you add it warm, it will deflate the cream.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add the brown sugar and continue whipping, then slowly stream in the cooled white chocolate while whipping to stiff peaks.

Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake. Then, slice into 9 squares and serve.

This hojicha tres leches cake is everything I wanted and more. The sponge is soft and milky with deep, toasted hojicha flavor running through every bite. Meanwhile, the white chocolate brown sugar whipped cream on top has subtle caramel notes that play beautifully against the hojicha. Top the cake with boba pearls, and it'll taste like a boba drink but in cake form!

For another hojicha dessert, check out this hojicha roll cake and hojicha cookies and cream ice cream!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: This cake is best chilled overnight, so I recommend preparing it the day before you're planning to serve it.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More tea-flavored dessert recipes

Looking for more tea-flavored desserts? Try these: